


Shhh... Don't Cry, My Darling Boy- I'll Always Be Right Here!

by ZaraMelMercury



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bottom Tony Stark, Cuddling & Snuggling, Disney Songs, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Headspace, Infantilism, M/M, Nightmares, Non-Sexual Age Play, Pet Names, Protective Steve Rogers, Sleepy Cuddles, Tony Stark Has Nightmares, Tony-centric, Top Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:00:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27355384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZaraMelMercury/pseuds/ZaraMelMercury
Summary: Tony wakes up from yet another terrible nightmare and sprints to his Daddy's room, believing Steve to be dead! Believing that no matter how hard Tony tried, he'd never be able to save him...Tony is distraught, but Steve will always be there to comfort his baby and remind the genius that Steve would always be by his side. Steve would always protect his baby boy. To say that Jarvis is also a great caretaker would be an understatement!
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 3
Kudos: 58





	1. An Angel in a Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> See the end of the work for more notes!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's nightmare

_"Steve... STEVE!"_

_"To-"_

_***cough*** _

_"To-ony, is that--that you, there?" A fit of hacking coughs flowed over Steve and lit his chest on fire! Everything in his body was burning with heat._

_A breathy sob left Tony's throat and big, fat tears of relief poured from his eyes!_

_"Yeah! Yeah Baby it's me. It's me a-and I'm right here! Can you feel me holding your wrist? Can you feel that? You gotta hang on for a little while longer, okay, Honey? Okay? Please, Steve! Please, you gotta hang on!"_

* * *

_The ambulance ride seemed to go on for hours and hours._

_Tony's leg wouldn't stop tapping up and down and every five minutes, he was reaching out to any and every God in the known universe to hear his prayers and heal Steve!_

_"Oh, this is all my fault! I'm so, **SO** sorry My Love, you have- you have no idea how much I w-wish I could take all your pain onto myself!"_

_The tears never stopped falling, hot and fast like waterfalls, over Tony's face. It broke Steve's heart to see His Love in this state!_

_Immediately, all Steve's physical pain and throbbing washed away and his entire focus was on making the love of his life feel better._

_"O- oh Honey, no... You did... great... L-like you-"_

_Another heaving wave of coughs attacked him violently and Steve's whole body lurched with the pain._

_***Cough!* ***_ **_Cough!*_ **

_"... L-like you a-always do..."_

_Steve saw Tony's wide, terrified eyes shine back at him, and he reached out his free hand (the one that Tony wasn't clutching desperately to his lips) and cupped the side of the genius' face, gently._

_Small, tender strokes of his thumb to wipe away Tony's tears..._

_Soon enough, a little smile spread across His Sweetheart's face and Steve smiled up at him too._

_Steve knew that he looked broken and battered beyond repair, with large gashes down his sides and crimson-red pools of his blood staining his uniform._

_Tony looked just as wrecked: a large cut ran down the side of his face and Steve heard the doctor say His Love's ribs had taken a beating too; both of them were also suffering from an impaling to the leg, but thankfully the bleeding had stopped for Tony._

_The same couldn't be said for Steve, though..._

_Tony was dressed in nothing but the armor's undersuit; still bleeding profusely from his cut, but, **hell** , he didn't care! _

_It sounds so corny, but, when Tony looked into Steve's most dazzling azure eyes, and seeing that safety and reassurance, as solid as rock, radiate from **that one look** the soldier gave, it really made everything else fade away and Tony could feel peace wrap around him._

_If Steve knew he was going to be alright, then he would be alright!_

_A lazy smile appeared over the supersoldier's face when he saw Tony's shoulders drop and visibly relax, giving out._

_"We're- we're gonna be at the hospital soon, My Love, okay? They're gonna... they're gonna fix you up and--and then we can binge watch a-anything you want back at the compound, I-okay?" Tony tried to swallow down the sobs threatening to break free. He tried to keep his voice from wavering higher._

_Was he still trying to convince Steve, or was he trying to convince himself now?_

_'Are you trying to prolong the inevitable, Tony? Oh, if only you'd listened to Steve on this mission! Then we could be heading somewhere better, but no..._

_'Now you're going to watch him leave you... In more ways than one, Tony Stark...'_

_"No!" he whispered frantically, "Steve, you--you won't leave me, will you? I'll save you! I promise I- I will!"_

_"Aw! ," Steve's eyes softened, "Oh, I know you will Sweetheart..." he murmured, sleepily, "... I know you will..."_

* * * 

_Tony had been pacing outside the surgery ward for more than an hour and a half, still without any news of Steve's condition. He nibbled on his fingernail subconsciously while every kind of dark thought occupied his mind._

_'You didn't listen, Tony, and now Steve is going to **die**!'_

_'It always has to be Tony Stark's way, huh? Well, **YOUR** **WAY** just cost another life!'_

_' **Merchant of DEATH,** Howard Junior! -'_

_"Mr Stark?"_

_Tony's head snapped up._

_As soon as Shield's doctors were finished looking the genius over, and patching him up as best they could, he immediately sprinted to the surgery ward where he knew Steve would be, in nothing but a hospital gown himself! Tony was just so desperate to be by Steve's side._

_"Dr Cho!" Tony's face lit up like a thousand stars!_

_Good._

_Doctor Cho always brought good news!_

_Steve was surely okay! ..._

_... Right?_

_Dr Cho tentatively reached out and put a consoling hand on Tony's shoulder. He took in her sombre expression._

_"Dr Cho?... Where is Steve?" Tony's heartbeat picked up irradicately. "Wh- where can I... where can I find my husband, Dr Cho?... "_

_'No, no, no! **Please** **no**!' He thought, 'It's not true. It **CAN'T** be true!'_

_But Doctor Cho's expression did not change as she looked into his eyes._

_'Please... Steve! ...'_

_"Mr Stark I... I **deeply** regret to inform you that we... we lost Mr Rogers during the surgery.He lost too much blood... I'm incredibly sorry Mr Stark-"_

_But Tony's head was underwater._

_Everything was muffled; everything else was drowned out..._

_' **We lost him during the** **surgery**...'_

_'I couldn't save him. I- I couldn't-'_

_'He lost too much blood'_

_' **Failure**!'_

_'He's gone...'_

_'Steve's **gone**...'_

_'-Lost too much blood' - 'I'll never hear his laugh again!' - ' **How** are you surprised that you failed Stark? Huh?' - 'You disappointment!' - 'We lost him during the surgery...' -- 'Steve...'_

_"Mr Stark, can you hear me? Can you hear what I'm saying?"_

_\- 'No more hugs... I won't feel his heartbeat anymore as I fall asleep!...' - 'Heatbeat' - 'His heart stopped' - 'His heart... **It stopped**...' - 'No life...' -_

_"Mr Stark? Mr Stark, please, do you know where you are?" Dr Cho repeatedly tried to call out to him._

_'I'm lost...' He wanted to say, 'I couldn't do anything--I couldn't s-save him!'_

_Tony dropped to his knees and the cold of the tiles shot up through his body!_

_He couldn’t get enough oxygen in._

_His breaths were becoming too shallow. Steve wasn't there to help._

_Steve--Steve wouldn't ever be there again..._

_**STEVE wouldn't be there again!** _

_"No!" Tony yelled out, "No! I- I didn't even s-say goodbye..." He clutched at the place his arc reactor would've been and heaved in shallow breaths._

_"No! No, I- wait a minute, wha- Wait, why--why would I even s-say good... goodbye? Dr Cho... Haha, Dr Cho, you can't --you can't joke about things like this! Hhahahahaa! It was a good one, though! Ha! You- yeah, you really had me fooled, I'll admit it. Yeah, I'll give you that one-- heh!- but I- I **really** need to see him **now**!"_

_Tony's pupils were dilated--he was in shock._

_He looked around frantically like a cornered wild animal; frantic and feral!_

_Doctor Cho clutched the sides of his arms and knelt with him in the ground._

_"Mr Stark," she replied softly, yet firmly. Business tone._

_Sympathetic, but it clearly clearly held the undertone that serious matters still have to be dealt with. The 'no-nonsense' voice._

_"Mr Stark, if you'd please come with me, I'll-"_

_"Show me to Steve?! " Tony interrupted, looking up so excitedly, but yet still so fast, that it gave Dr Cho whiplash and she was certain that Tony must've cracked his own neck!_

_"Okay, then yes! Yes!" Tony yelled ecstaticly, "Then come on Dr Cho! Come on, I wanna see my husband!"_

_Tony scrabbled up and off from the floor, pulling at Dr Cho like how a five year old child would, if he'd been given access to an entire toy store!_

_"Come **ON** , now Doctor! Please, let's go!" Tony actually whined at her!_

_Doctor Cho tried to still his frantic movements, but it was to no avail; any other person could walk by and see the physical vibrations radiating off Tony!_

_As she stood up, she clutched at Tony's wrist, who was still bouncing on his feet with energy._

_He just couldn’t understand it._

_He couldn’t understand Dr Cho's reluctance._

_Did Steve want to make a grand entrance then? He KNEW how impatient Tony was!_

_Tony's smile still inevitably grew bigger thinking about his husband's goofiness. His (VERY MUCH!) **ALIVE** husband's goofiness!_

_"Mr Stark I-"_

_"Tony!" Another voice called out so softly._

_He'd know that voice anywhere!_

_Spinning around, he saw Steve right in front of him! He laughed breathlessly as tears of joy cascaded down his face._

_"Oh Steve, you're alright! I knew it!"_

_He moved forward, wanting to pull his husband into the biggest hug ever, but Steve stepped back, almost instinctively._

_The genius stopped. He froze with his arm still outstretched to grab on to Steve._

_Confusion showed on Tony's face as he let his arm fall back slowly to his side, but he could immediately guess what the problem was!_

  
_He laughed softly, "Steve, I know I look psychotic, but I'll be careful of your bandages and your wounds, trust me."_

_But Steve only smiled fondly at Tony's adorable, dorky self and shook his head, as if Tony didn't get the joke._

_"No, it's not that, Honey," Steve replied calmly._

_"Then what is it?" Tony asked quizzically. His eyes then widened in fear, " Oh no! Does it mean you're **worse?!** But... but that can't be it, because you're standing right in front of me and-"_

_"Tony, Sweetheart, stop worrying!" Steve laughed heartily and his eyes seemed to shine as bright as if they contained every star in the universe._

_Tony blushed and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck._   
_Everything else fell away. It was just him and Steve, as it should be!_

_"You're right, I'm sorry, Captain- O- My- Captain."_

_Steve chuckled at the nickname, making his eyes crinkle at the corners. He looked so happy and just so **healthy** , Tony's heart beamed with warmth. _

_"Yeah, whatever it is, Steve, I'm sure we'll figure it out back home. What matters now, is that the both of us can finally leave this place and go and rest with the team."_

_Steve continued to smile softly, but a treacherous, stray tear slipped down his cheek._

_Seeing this development, Tony went into an instinctive panic mode!_

_"Honey, what's wrong?" He moved to console his husband, but still, Steve took another step back._

_Now Tony was panicking again._

_"Steve..." he asked slowly, "... what are you not telling me? You're kinda freaking me out now."_

_As Tony looked at His Love more closely, he could see that Steve actually had a light **glow** about him--almost like his whole body was encased in a halo of gold light._

_"Steve? ... Please talk to me, what's happening?" Tony's breathing sped up frantically, once again._

_A few more tears ran down Steve's face, but he continued to stand in one place. He put his hand over his own heart and smiled at Tony so lovingly._

_"Oh Tony, my Sweetheart, you don't have to worry about me... You don't have to worry about what's going to happen next. Just know that I'll be with you. Right here..."_

_He patted his chest to signify that he'll always be in Tony's heart._

_But Tony was just as more confused as ever! He blinked multiple times and shook his head to clear it. He looked around the hall, but Dr Cho had disappeared off somewhere! It was just him and Steve alone in the corridor._

_And Tony had had enough!_

_"Steve, stop speaking in riddles and just come home with me! Here, I'm going to take your hand, whether you like it or not, and-" ***GASP!***_

_He couldn't even scream!_

_Tony's hand reached out and came into contact with nothing. Steve's hand was just... **AIR!**_

_" **STEVE**! What-- what are you--?! What's HAPPENING?! Why can't I **feel your hand?!** "_

_Tony was hyperventilating now. He couldn't breathe!_

_'I can't **touch** Steve's **hand**! But Steve doesn't even **HAVE** a hand; it's just AIR!'_

_Tony clutched his sides, hugging himself and pinched his eyes closed. He was so terrified!_

_"This-- this... this isn't real! This **C-CAN'T** be real!" he hissed._

_When Tony opened his eyes again, Glowing Steve was still there. Tears of frustration ran down Tony's face and all thought processes in his brain jammed._

_"What **ARE** you?" Tony whispered through clenched teeth. _

_He just didn't understand!_

_Steve then FLOATED towards him so BEAUTIFULLY! As if it was a dance._

_He placed a ghost hand over Tony's heart and despite not feeling anything, Tony couldn't help but flinch and shiver._

_But he didn't feel scared..._

_This Glowing Steve looked steadily into Tony's eyes, just like in the ambulance forever ago._

_"It's **your** **Steve** , Sweetheart," he said, softly. His other ghost hand gently moved to stroke Tony's hair and then cup the side of his face. His thumb lightly stroked over the genius' cheek._

_Tony didn't want to acknowledge it!_

_He knew that it was true, deep down, what he was seeing, but he didn't **want** it to be true!_

_However... it was his Steve!_

_He knew it!_

_It was indeed Steven Rogers glowing in front of him like an angel._

**_Angel..._ **

_There it was._

_Like a rock sinking to the seabed, the realization solidified in Tony's own physical body._

_He cried waterfalls as he looked into Steve's angel eyes._

_"It's really you?" Tony asked._

_Steve nodded._

_"And... and you--you're really what I th-think you are?" he forced out._

_Steve nodded once again._

_"That explains the glowing, huh, Sweetheart?" Steve joked and Tony couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter!_

_But Steve's expression turned solemn._

_"I just came to say goodbye, Honey."_

_Tony's whole body froze again._

_"I- I- w-what? What do you mean g-goodbye? No, **STAY!** "_

_He tried to reach for his husband; he tried to reach for **ANYTHING** , but it was too late._

_Steve was already fading..._

_"NO! NO, COME BACK! STEVE! PLEASE I NEED YOU, I'M SORRY! PLEASE!"_

_Tony fell to the ground, sobbing hysterically when the last of his husband faded away._

_"Baby, I'm so sorry!" he cried._

_But a warmth surrounded him, and Tony could here Steve's voice echoing around the walls..._

_It was such a rich and vibrant sound!_

_It was a soft and consoling sound as well:_

_"_ _Tony Stark, my beautiful husband, don't you **EVER** be sorry that you couldn't save me. It will be okay... _

_"I'm okay, trust me! And you will be alright, too. You couldn't save me, but neither could the surgeons. And that's okay! It's okay, because you don't have to worry about me feeling pain anymore..."_

_Tony's crying became louder and louder until he was **howling** pained noises and gut-wrenching sobs!_

_"I'll take that pain away, My Darling... It WILL go away, as long as I'm there to protect you. I'll always be with you, no matter what... I love you so much, Tony..."_

_"NO!" he cried out._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm kinda going off the Marvel timeline a bit, but I'm fairly certain that Tony's arc reactor is removed in Iron Man 3, so this takes place way back in 2013 after that surgery and after the events of Iron Man 3. It's like a cute, in-between moment between the canonical movies. (Edit - there obviously will be a Chapter 2 posted asap!)


	2. Come, stop your crying...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve, alive and well, consoles Tony after his nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See the end of the work for more notes

" **NO**!"

Tony bolted right up in bed, screaming!

The sound echoed off of his bedroom walls.

Wait!

_His **bedroom**?... _

'Wh-why am I in my bed- bedroom?What? What about Steve and-?' ***GASP!!***

_Steve!_

'My daddy!... My daddy isn't okay! Where _is_ he?! Where's my daddy? Where's Steve?... ' 

" _DADDY!"_ Tony _wailed_ loudly. Fresh tears welled up and overflowed his face, and his breathing turned just as erratic as in his nightmare!

Tony couldn't think clearly-- he needed to know if his daddy was okay! 

"Daddy... Daddy... Daddy, _please..._ " Tony hugged himself into a ball, he gripped his knees and rocked himself... back and forth... back and forth... as he repeatedly called out to his daddy (Steve) while still in the aftershock of his nightmare. 

He couldn't bring himself to move anywhere.

To go and check for himself where his daddy was. His Little-self still knew that he would be experiencing the on-comings of a panic attack soon if he didn't _**calm down**_! 

'Daddy would always be here to help me...' Tony thought in despair. 

He tried to control his sniffling and crying, after a few minutes.

He then looked up to the ceiling. 

"J-Jarvis?" he called out, his voice still wavering with tears.

"It is currently 02:15 AM on Saturday, 07th November 2013, the temperature being moderately cool with a forecast for rain showers after 09:00 AM today. You are currently in your bedroom at the Avengers Tower, Young Sir."

With as much sensitivity as an AI could possibly muster, Jarvis continued to console Tony as best he could, in his current Little Headspace, after calculating that a nightmare such as that, would indeed trigger him into such a state.

"A-and wher-where i-is my d-daddy?" Tony's voice had risen an octave in an attempt to speak over his sobbing wails that still threatened to break through.

Jarvis felt so sad for his creator! ...

"Young Sir," the AI's tone was soft and gentle, "Do you wish for me to call Mr Rogers to come to you, or would you like me to direct you to his floor?" Jarvis responded, still in his comforting tone. 

Once he heard Steve's name and remembered the vivid details of his nightmare, Tony bolted out of his bed, shivering fervently, and called out to Jarvis, "Yes, Jarvis, **please!** _**Please**_ , I need to see Daddy!" 

He couldn't distinguish what was still real and what wasn't, but Tony was sure that once he saw his daddy, then everything would turn out all right! 

Steve woke up to the feeling of someone, or something, gripping his leg and shaking it frantically.

"Daddy!" Tony whispered fiercely, "Daddy, please wake up!" 

"Hmnf! Hnn... Huh? What? What happened? Where-?"

As Jarvis switched on the lights, Steve sat up and saw Tony kneeling at the foot of his bed with one of his arms still gripping Steve's right leg.

'Oh!... okay... So that settles _that_ feeling' Steve thought fondly and smiled. 

But then he took one look at Tony's tear-stained face and his protective instincts kicked in!

Tony had had a nightmare.

His baby boy had had a nightmare and came to confide in his Daddy Steve right now.

The thought of Tony waking up like that--so scared in his room - it just broke Steve's heart in two! 

So, the first thing he did, was to _immediately_ lean over the side of his bed and scoop up his boy to lay beside him!

His baby squealed at the sudden movement and giggled happily as he briefly swung through the air!

"Daddy!" Tony laughed happily, "Yay, Daddy I'm flying! I'm flying!" 

Steve cheered along with his sweetheart babyboy - so happy to hear that hearty laughter! - as he gently swung Tony's body back and forth, along with his own, while pirouetting on the mattress like an idiot! 

The good thing about being a supersoldier is the ability to carry extremely heavy weights, but Steve found it _**so adorable**_ that Tony basically weighed next to nothing, even as an adult!

So it was so **_incredibly_** easy to pick him up during the day and smother him in bear hugs!

The genius always grumbled about Steve's teasing often, but he knew that pouting wouldn't help his case, because Steve would then just say it made him look even **_cuter!_**

The pair suddenly crashed back down onto the mattress and Steve clutched a laughing Little Tony to his chest, snuggly, and blew a raspberry into his neck! 

Tony laughed hysterically in bliss and clutched to Steve's front like a koala! (Arms secured around Steve's neck and legs were clenched around his daddy's waist).

_His daddy was okay!_

Tony felt the gravity as they had swung through the air, so he knew that this was real life. He felt his daddy's arms securely holding him from underneath, so since his daddy was well enough to do that, then his daddy was okay! 

_His daddy was okay!_

I had all just been a bad dream.

Tony knew that _this right here... right now_... he knew it was reality! 

He snuggled deeper into Steve's lap and buried his nose into his daddy's neck. 

"Hi, My Baby Boy," Steve said lovingly, as he stroked through Tony's soft, brown curls and the genius snuggled closer under the blankets with Steve, to settle. He closed his eyes and hummed at the contact. **Solid** and **warm** **physical contact!**

Steve was _**alive**_.

Steve was alive and right beside Tony, holding him in his arms!

But the nightmare then came forward once again, and Tony couldn't stop himself from letting out a pained whimper!

His body pulled him back into the dreaded cold he felt in his nightmare and he began to shiver uncontrollably. 

He pulled Steve as close as possible as he cried into his Daddy's neck.

"I-I'm... I'm s-sorry Daddy, b-but I- you- you were g-" 

Tony tried to heave in deep breaths, but they wavered at his chest. 

He tried again, "You- y-you wer-were d-d-" 

He couldn't get that word out. 

Tony would never **allow** himself to even **think** about his Daddy and _that word_ in the same sentence! 

"D-Daddy I love y-you so m-much! You can't be d-de-" Tony choked up, "P-Please you c-can't b-be-" 

"Oh, my sweet thing!" Steve said, despairingly.

His heart fractured as he listened to his boy choke up like that and he tried, desperately, to hold his Little Tony as close as possible to stop his shivering! 

Steve shuffled himself back up against his headboard with Tony in his lap and gently juggled him up and down with his knee... Stroking his baby's back up and down... up and down... in as much a soothing pattern he could do.

"Shhh... shhh... Oh, my poor Tony... it's alright..." Steve whispered gently into his baby's curls, "Shhh... Shh... Aw, come on now, my HoneyBaby; there we go... Oh, it'll be alright..." 

His sweet boy couldn't even finish one sentence!

This one must've been terrible. He held Tony closer and shushed him gently.

"Aww, my babydoll, you don't have to apologize. That's it, just let it out. There you go... Aww you're so so brave! You're so, so good, my little boy!... My brave Little Tony!"

For the next few minutes, Steve rubbed up and down Tony's back trying to console him, as his sweet doll cried out the last of his nightmare.

He placed little chaste kisses on Tony's forehead and stroked the tiny hairs at the nape of his neck. 

Steve rocked them slow and gentle. 

"Shh... shhh, that's it... Daddy's here; Daddy's gotcha... You don't have to worry 'bout nothing...There we go... Ahh, there we go, my beautiful boy... My **brave** boy!" Steve continuously held his Little Tony close and murmured sweet nothings into his ear.

He placed his hands in Tony's hair, massaging his head delicately... let his hands rub up and down his baby's shoulders to create friction and warmth...

He repeated it once again with Tony's arms, and his back, because his Little needed to _**feel Steve**_.

He needed to know that his Daddy was real. And healthy. And close.

Tony's sniffling died down and he looked up at Steve with adorably large owl eyes! Steve couldn't help but smile lovingly at Tony - his beautiful genius boyfriend with a heart of gold!

Steve pecked Tony's nose and it made the genius giggle softly.

He continued to pepper little kisses all over Tony's face and neck-- occasionally blowing a raspberry too! - until Tony's soft giggles filled the room once again! It was music to Steve's ears! 

Tony wound his arms around his daddy's back and hugged him tightly! He rested the side of his head on Steve's shoulder. 

"Thank you, Daddy," he mumbled quietly, while Steve gently rocked them again in a slow rhythm, "I love you!"

Steve's heart burst!

He had to hold back his own tears of happiness in case he worried Tony about why _he_ was crying!

Steve pulled his baby back slightly, until he could look into his eyes again.

Tony saw his daddy's warm smile directed at him and he blushed!

He wanted to duck his head down, sheepishly, in embarrassment, but Steve's hand lifted Tony's head up to face him and Steve kissed his forehead softly.

Tony basked in the movement. 

His whole body filled itself with warmth, and a sense of safety surrounded him; a safety that only his daddy could provide!

"Honey," Steve called to him softly, bringing him back to Earth.

They looked into each other's eyes steadily and Tony suddenly felt _so_ _indestructible_ as he looked into the amount of love his daddy's eyes held for him!

Cupping both sides of Tony's face gently, stroking his cheeks, but never breaking eye contact, Steve let a stray tear escape him as he replied, "Not possible My Baby... I love you **most!** "

Tony's eyes beamed and his smile shone as bright as the Milky Way Galaxy!

He leaned forward slightly to give his daddy a kiss on the cheek!

Steve chuckled!

"You feel a bit better, Doll?" He asked his baby softly, still massaging his limbs and back. 

Tony nodded, still smiling bright. 

* * *

After cleaning Tony's face with a washcloth and a change of PJs was made by Steve, the pair found themselves snuggled up together tightly in Steve's bed.

It seemed almost all traces of Tony's nightmare had vanished completely, but there was still one more trick Steve had up his sleeve that always managed to chase his baby's demons away for good!

Tony was cuddled up to Steve's side (and was using Steve's bicep as his own pillow!) and Steve just used the arm tucked under Tony, to wrap his Little genius, securely against him, and gently stroke his baby's hip.

He gave Tony one last kiss on the forehead before looking up at the ceiling and called softly, "You know what to do, Jarvis!"

"Of course, Captain," the AI replied, with a hint of laughter in his voice!

After a couple minutes, a sleepy Little Tony found himself smiling as the first notes of a well-known song played throughout his daddy's room! ... 

_🎶Come_ _stop your crying,_

 _It'll be alright_ _..._

_Just take my hand,_

_Hold it tight!🎶_

As the lyric was sung by Phil Collins, and his voice filled the room, Steve used his free hand to hold Tony's in sync, and he rubbed his thumb gently over his baby's knuckles.

Tony hummed contemptly as his Daddy then brought his hand up to kiss each of his knuckles softly.

To add to that happiness, Tony couldn't help but smile, his eyes still closed, as he heard Steve's voice join in to sing along with the next lyric:

" _I will protect you,_

_From all around you_

_I will be here,_

_Don't you cry"_

Tony was sure of that fact. 

His Daddy would always be there, by his side, no matter what!

He was surrounded by the warmth and love that Steve held for him as the song continued to play. The warmth of Steve's body heat... The warmth of his soft skin against Tony's... 

Enveloping him... Cocooning him snugly... 

It was solid. And reassuring. 

He was totally in bliss as Steve's voice surrounded him as well: soft- _and a little gruff!_ \- but it meant home. 

_Home..._

Tony snuggled deep as he could into Steve's side, as his Daddy continued to sing and rub his hip gently, both of their hands still intertwined between them. 

Steve nuzzled his baby boy's nose as the next lyric followed and he couldn’t help but let out a soft giggle at the relatability! 

" _For one so small,_

_You seem so strong!"_

**Tony should complain!**

But he didn't. 

Because he knew amongst that teasing tone of his daddy, Steve was showing his pride for Tony-- saying how, despite everything, his baby was still such a strong and good man! 

Tony preened at the praise and giggled as Steve nuzzled his nose!

He sleepily leaned up again to give his daddy a kiss on his chin and Steve's smile never left him as he continued to sing his baby to sleep: 

" _My_ _arms will hold you;_

_Keep you safe and warm._

_This bond between us,_

_Can't be broken..._

_I will be here,_

_Don't you cry!..."_

He wrapped Tony in a bear hug as he sung the verse, hoping to convey the message: Tony could always come and find safety in Steve's arms, whether he was in this headspace or whether he was back to his regular adult-self, that Steve still loved just as much!

**_And Tony knew this..._ **

He squeezed his daddy lightly as a response, and he felt Steve's smile as a kiss was placed in his curls once again. 

Arms around his protector ... 

Arms that surrounded him. 

Hands that cradled Tony oh so carefully.

And legs tangled together in a web! 

_**It was home**_... 

🎶' _Cause you'll be in my heart_

_Yes, you'll be in my heart_

_From this day on,_

_Now and forever more..._

_You'll be in my heart,_

_No matter what they say!_

_You'll be here in my heart_

_Always... 🎶_

Before Tony drifted off, he heard Steve whisper one last thing: 

" _Always, my baby boy!..._

_Always..."_

**_Fin_.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished! Haha 😅 
> 
> So my first work on AO3 is complete. Kudos and positive feedback is always appreciated. It was really my first time writing every tag mentioned, so I hope I hooked you in on the atmosphere and tone of the story - I hope I conveyed that right, but expect more fics in the future (with, hopefully, a better writing technique! 😄❤️💙)

**Author's Note:**

> So this was my first attempt at writing a small ficlet featuring a Little!Tony with Steve as his Daddy, because I've read so many de-aging fics and I am a COMPLETE SUCKER when it comes to Steve consoling a crying Tony! So I just had to give it a go, because I've always wanted to write one! 
> 
> As the tags say, it is non-sexual, because I prefer to write more about the touch-starved Tony (who deserves all the snuggles in the universe!) than the average Dom/sub kinky stuff.


End file.
